Hand bags and the like



Oct. 1, 1957- H. GREEN HAND BAGS AND THE LIKE Filed July 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 1, 1957 H, @EEN 2,808,092

HAND BAGS AND THE LIKE Filed July 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Unit States Patefiro HAND BAGS AND THE LIKE Henry Green, Spring Valley, N. Y.

Application July 12, 1955, Serial No. 521,466

Claims. (Cl. 150-42) The present invention relates to hand bags and the like and more particularly to the type having a cover or flap which is swung over the mouth of the bag body to close same and I concern myself herein with providing novel and improved constructions for holding the bag closed.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved hand bag construction of the type mentioned affording a locking means which serves to properly position the cover or closure flap for positive engagement when the bag is closed. I accomplish this by having a spring-biased hook on the bag body, which hook and bag body provide a mouth in which the free end of the cover or flap is received and an element carried by the cover becomes engaged by said hook. Said mouth formation acts as a guide for properly positioning the cover member and the engagement element thereon.

Another object hereof is to provide a novel and improved hand bag construction of the character described employing locking means as mentioned, including a step within said mouth formation on the bag body so that the element on the cover is subjected to both a hooking engagement and a clamping action when the bag is closed.

Still another object hereof is to provide novel and improved bag and lock constructions of the manner set forth, which are reasonably cheap to manufacture, simple in construction, easy to use and efficient in carrying out the purposes for which they are designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Fig. l is a perspective view showing a ladies hand bag embodying the teachings of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken at lines 22 in Fig. 1. Here the bag is shown open.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, except that the bag is shown closed and locked.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a slightly modified construction.

Fig. 5 is a part of Fig. 2 shown in section, illustrating one form of spring structure which may be used to bias the hook.

Fig. 6 shows the front view of another spring means.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a section taken at lines 88 in Fig. 6.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the numeral 15 designates generally the body of a hand bag whose side gussets may be of the accordion type as indicated at 16, 16'. The bag body has a cover 17 which is swung over to close the mouth of the bag. This cover may be of rigid structure, or even of flexible material as is the flap 17 in the modified embodiment shown in Fig. 4. The bag and its components may be in any suitable form and in any manner decorated as style and manufacture may dictate.

The locking device shown is substantially the same in both embodiments illustrated, except for a step 21 2,808,092 Patented Oct. 1, 1957 which is included in the first, but omitted in the second embodiment. In Fig. 4 therefore, I have indicated the parts by prime numbers. The locking device includes a short bar piece 18 which may be a pin or other form on the outer surface of the cover member. This bar is to be engaged by the latch or hook 19 mounted in cantilever fashion on the outer surface of the bag body to form a mouth 14 which receives the free edge of the cover member and its bar 18 when the bag is closed. Said hook 19 has a slight swing movement towards and away from said bag surface to a position indicated at 19" by a suitable spring means indicated at 20, biased to urge said hook 19 towards the bag surface so that it can engage the bar 18 as shown in Fig. 3, or the similar situation as shown in Fig. 4.

The spring means 20 may for instance be a U-shaped blade spring tensed when its arms are together and further tensed when such arms are spread apart. Such blade spring has one arm secured to the hook member 19 and its other arm secured to a bar 22, and is preferably housed in a ring 25 which is loose thereabout. It is evident that the hook 19 is mounted in the manner of a cantilever; its point of attachment being at its lower end. Said hook is thus swingable to position 19" as shown in Fig. 3, to release the piece 18 so that the bag can be opened. Another form of spring means to bias the hook, may be as shown in Figs. 6-8, where the hook has spaced lugs 27 through the openings 28 in the bar 22. These lugs extend laterally of the hook member and terminate in knuckles 27' which are downward of said lugs. Wires 28' anchored by tabs 30 struck from the material-of the bar 22, extend through the knuckles 27' respectively as shown, and such wires are stressed to urge thehook member 19to swing clock-wise in Fig. 8. Bringing said hook member by hand counter-clockwise movement, will further stress said spring wires 28'. These spring means are illustrative and shall not be deemed restrictive, for many other spring constructions known to those versed in the art, may be substituted therefor.

As mentioned, the embodiment of Fig. 1, has the step 21 on the bag surface within the mouth formation 14. This step may extend across the bag body from side to side if desired. The hook 19, of course extends above such step. Said step serves to position the bar piece 18 properly and together with said hook, forms a clamp so 'that the engagement of the bar piece 18 is by both a hooking action plus a clamping action because said bar is not only hook-engaged, but is also pressed on by the springbiased hook against the step.

The cross bar 22 which may be partially or all the way across the bag body, is preferably imbedded or otherwise suitably associated with the step 21 to reinforce same I and serve for mounting the hook member 19 and its associated spring means 20. Said hook has a cam surface 19' which when contacted by the bar piece 18 during the closing of the hand bag, will shift the hook 'to permit full entrance of the said bar 18 to proper depth within the mouth 14.

While step 21 is used as the rest for the bar piece 18 in Fig. 2, it is to be noted that in Fig. 4, the free edge of the flap 17 comes to rest within the mouth formed by the hook member 19 and the bag body, and its bar piece 18 is up from such edge a suitable distance to be in position for effective engagement by the said hook member 19', to maintain the bag locked.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment herein shown shall be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the 3 specific description "herein-to indicate the scope of'this invention.

I claim:

' 1. In an article of the character described, a bag havingacover which is swung rover .thezmouthaot such: bag toiclosesthesame and when in such position,. overlaps an qouter :surface of the bag, an element'anountedxon thezouter surface;of the vcover onlthe oyerlapping portion of suchcover avhook'membericarried on said bagtsurface, extending vtowards the mouth of lthefbag in nantilever fashion, Whereby'said'hookvmemberandibag surface form amouthhtoreceive said elementttherein when the bag is closed and when :in such condition, said element-will be engageduby saidhook and pressed .there'by tin/a: direction away'from. the'mouth of the bag; said hook'b'cing shiftable towards and away from said'bag surface and springbiased towarids'said surface.

1,2. The article as .definedin ielaim 1, including a bar on the bag body spaced from the mouth irirn:of the bag; 7

the hook member and its associated spring being carried by said bar.

3. The article as defined in claim 1, including a step on the mentioned bag surface; saidastep being Within the mouth formed by. said surface and the hook member; j

said step serving asa rest for the element'on the cover when .theibagisiclosed .and when the bag is insuch condition, said element will be engaged by the hook and shall also be pressed on by said hook against said step.

4. The article as defined in claim 3, wherein said ele ment is at an edge of the cover; said edge being of an appreciable length and the step being of a dimension to receive substantially alli of said-edge thereon when the bag is closed.

5. The ar tiele as defined in claim '1," wherein the hook member has'a cam surface opposite the bag-so that when the cover is set in position to close the bag, the element on said cover iwill contactssaid .camsurface :and shift the hook so that said element, can enter the mouth formed by such hook and the'bag.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,081,925 :Graf June'l, 1937 

